See how we get leading indicators on software project risk to keep the team on track. Our VP, engineering operations, Christopher Walker, walks through Praxent's approach to managing risks to ensure on-time (and on-budget) delivery. #softwaredevelopment #digitaltransformation #agileleadership #projectrisk
VP Ops @ Praxent. For 10+ years I've helped technology leaders build high-performing development processes and get the most out of their teams. Follow me to see how.
What do software projects and watermelons have in common? Green on the outside (status reports 🟩 🟩 🟩). Red on the inside (an abrupt 🟥 🔥 💣 the week before launch). Looking for a LEADING INDICATOR that tells a more realistic story than your burndown? What if you could visualize which BEST PRACTICES might be getting skipped? Here’s how we did just that at Praxent: 1. SIMPLIFY your definition of best practices into a short checklist In the fast-moving world of NOVEL feature development, good habits are at constant risk. On paper everyone knows how to build good software, but in practice there are hectic meeting days, clumsy async communication, and any other number of factors that make it difficult to follow best practices. So: we simplified those expectations. Borrowing from the best practices of surgeons and aviators, we created 7-item checklists for every role in a sprint that represent the most critical expectations. 2. REINFORCE those expectations with a sprintly self-assessment The cognitive load of remembering your responsibilities — while also navigating the massive complexity of knowledge work – is immense. And – though I hate to admit it as the author of so much of our wiki – no one looks at the wiki. So reinforce those responsibilities with a weekly survey. 5-minutes, 7-questions. Did I perform the best practices or not? We found that a checklist every sprint provided a level of clarity and confidence that boosted performance AND engagement. 3. VISUALIZE which best practices are strong with a habit heatmap By aggregating our weekly self-surveys, we found we could create a real-time HEATMAP of which best practices are strong – and which ones might be getting missed. Knowledge is everything: once you see which best practices might be skipped (for any number of great reasons, by the way) you are able to influence the project in ways you never thought possible. #softwaredevelopment #fintechnews #digitaltransformation #agiledevelopment
Christopher Walker I love the 🍉 analogy here. Really brings it to life. I am going to repost this. Beyond the watermelon is sage guidance on implementing some best practices to deliver better software.